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Sahara 2005 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Breck Eisner
PG-13, 127 min. (action violence) |
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Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, Penelope Cruz, Lambert Wilson, Glynn Turman, Delroy Lindo, William H. Macy
Producers: Stephanie Austin, Howard Baldwin, Karen Elise Baldwin, Mace Neufeld
Screenplay: Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John C. Richards, James V. Hart
Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Released: 4.08.05 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Sahara is your typical run-of-the-mill action/adventure flick, except for one notable exception - it tries, unsuccessfully, to integrate a humanitarian message within
its flimsy script. Endless stunts and chases bookend a story about a polluted underground water supply in the Sahara desert, which results in the deaths of hundreds
of locals. Directed by Breck Eisner, the film is ridiculously too long (over two hours) and wears out its welcome about halfway through the second act. For those who enjoy
this sort of thing, Sahara should suffice; for others, it becomes interminable.
Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey), a treasure hunter who has always sought a long-lost Civil War ship because of some rare coins locked within its ironclad hull, finally has
a reason to seek it out with his eager partner and best friend, Al Giordino (Steve Zahn). Their boss, Admiral Sandecker (William H. Macy), funds their expeditions in exchange
for locating other, more well-known treasure spots around the globe. When the hunt takes them to Africa, a World Health Organization worker, Dr. Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz),
joins them as she investigates a strange disease that is affecting the people in the area. Of course, they are pursued by the henchmen of a French industrialist (Lambert Wilson)
and his partner, General Kazim (Lennie James), the local dictator, as they move closer to the truth. Wild chases over land, sea, and finally atop a solar facility in the middle
of nowhere dominate an otherwise uninspired storyline.
Sahara becomes a strange, out-of-step dichotomy of action and environmentalism that questions the purpose of the film itself. The reason for its long running length
is undoubtedly tied to the story-within-a-story template that sinks any chance for the film to rise above its pedestrian execution. While eschewing the merits of industrialism
at the expense of nature is admirable, the clumsy manner in which the issue is presented is insulting. There is simply no reason to include this unnecessary subplot. Focused
entirely on the by-the-numbers action sequences, even if only a popcorn feature, Sahara would have a better chance at success.
There is a certain appreciation for the McConaughey and Zahn interplay, and they find a right balance between action staple and geniune fun. But once Cruz,
although attractive, comes into the picture, things go south in a hurry. It's not surprising given this state of affairs that the always reliable William H. Macy steals the scenes
he's in, moaning about another Pitt indiscretion with his personal property. Maybe if he had been leading the charge toward the treasure things would be different, but no.
There's so little here to keep the viewer's attention that any unexpected intrusion into the mundane proceedings is a welcome respite. Sahara resembles its namesake; dry
all around.
© 2005 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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